


Capturing Reality on a Blank Canvas

by OhanaHoku



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Not Canon Compliant, Painter Tony Stark, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Bucky Barnes, Team Feels, Team as Family, They're broken but somehow they'll help Tony heal and heal themselves along the way, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Tony-centric, and JARVIS is still around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-07-28 13:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16242794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhanaHoku/pseuds/OhanaHoku
Summary: Everyone knew Tony wasn't bad at drawing, as an engineer he drew complex and accurate blueprints and plans all the time. But no one knew he had a hidden talent: Painting.OrTony has a photographic memory and is an expert artist. He also has PTSD. To cope he paints vivid masterpieces of what he's seen and gone through.





	1. Breakfast? (Intro)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is really random for me. I've actually only seen the first two Iron Man movies and the first Avengers movie, however I have read a TON of fanfiction on the avengers and come to love Tony, so here we go! Probably Very Slow Updates until I watch the other movies, at least once I get into plot, but I had to write this. Also, Warning for future descriptions of past Child Abuse. No trigger warnings for this chapter.

    With one last miniscule stroke of the brush, it was finally finished. Tony stepped back from the large easel, wiping a hand across his forehead and inadvertently leaving behind a streak of paint. He sighed softly, looking at his masterpiece and nodding in satisfaction.

 

    “Astonishingly accurate as always, Sir.” Jarvis intoned from the ceiling, a slight ring of pride in the AI’s voice.

 

    Tony gave a slight smile at the commendation, setting the brush down with a subtly shaking hand. “Thanks, J.” He glanced up at his painting once more, shuddering softly before turning away.

 

    “Let me know when it’s finished drying.” He instructed his AI, leaving the easel and the table cluttered with art supplies behind.

 

    “Of course, Sir.” JARVIS answered, pausing for a moment before reporting. “The other Avengers are inquiring if you will be coming up to breakfast.”

 

    Tony nodded, heading to a large sink and washing the paint from his hands. “Let them know I’ll be up there shortly.” He dried his hands, inspecting them carefully to make sure he got all the paint off.

 

    Convinced he’d ridden his hands of the evidence, he folded the towel in perfect thirds and placed it on the towel rack, taking off his smock and hanging it next to the sinks, turning off the light over the sink and walking out of the expansive room, past dozens of covered paintings hanging on the walls, a single semi-dull light hanging over each of them, spaces of darkness hovering between the paintings and in the corners and middle of the room.

 

    He turned the doorknob and walked out of the room, lights going out behind him as he closed the door.

 

** ** ** ** **

 

    “Mr. Stark will be up shortly to join you.” JARVIS informed the team, sounding quite pleased. Surprise flitted across their faces, Bruce looking downright shocked while surprise only hinted in Natasha’s eyes.

 

    Steve frowned a little, not upset, just thinking. Despite their attempts to invite Tony to any team function or meal, he hadn’t accepted their invitations for nearly a month, dating back to their last big battle that had ended badly between Tony and Bucky and had seemed to create a division, not just between them, but also Tony and the team itself. “I didn’t think he’d actually come.” He murmured, turning his attention back to his paper, though he obviously wasn’t reading it any longer.

 

    “I know, he hasn’t even been on the common room floor for the last month, let alone joined us for breakfast.” Bruce murmured, staring hard at the bacon sizzling on the stove as if it could solve the riddle of Tony’s sudden change of heart.

 

    “Whatever reason Friend Stark has behind his decision we must all make sure we do not make him regret it or he may pull away from us again.” Thor decided rather loudly, bringing his fist down on the table  emphatically, not hard enough to break it, he’d done that in the past, but enough to make it shudder and the coffee to splash out of Bucky’s mug, Natasha and Steve being experienced enough to pick their cups up.

 

    While Bucky glared at Thor and wiped up the mess, Clint put his two cents in from where he sat on the countertop of the kitchen island.. “Maybe he’s just too tired to avoid us any longer, he hasn’t been sleeping much.”

 

    Natasha nodded. “If he keeps it up he’s going to run himself into the ground. Even Pepper mentioned the other day that Tony was overworking himself. She’s said he’s completely caught up in his paperwork, which apparently never happens, and that he’s months of work ahead in his SI projects.”

 

    “He’s coming.” Bucky warned quietly, his sensitive hearing picking up the slight whir of the elevator as it arrived. The newest addition to the team had sat quietly, not contributing to the conversation. He didn’t know Stark well enough to speculate at his reasons for coming back, especially since Bucky was who he was avoiding most, even before the Incident.

 

    Everyone fell quiet, going back to what they were doing before the conversation began, Steve once again reading his newspaper, Bruce going back to preparing breakfast and Thor entertaining the others with tales of Asgard.


	2. Elevator Reminisces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony recalls THAT battle while in an elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for the positive response to my first chapter!

    Tony sighed as he leaned against the wall of the elevator, yawning slightly. He was undeniably tired, exhausted really, but he was feeling better after his painting session. His mind has calmed, his jumbled thoughts smoothing over with each stroke of the brush over canvas.

 

    He’d been having a hard time over the past month after THAT battle. It had been going fine at first, but then everything went to hell within a matter of minutes. They needed help and Bucky was quickly called into battle with them, the first mission Steve had cleared him for.

 

    Tony had already been fighting off a panic attack mid-battle, one of the robots they were fighting had gotten much too close to smashing his arc reactor. Then Bucky came out to the playing field, a cold glint in his eye that was a little too Winter Soldier for Tony’s liking.

 

    Then at the end of the battle, Tony landed next to the team, his faceplate lifting as he grinned at the team, congratulating everyone. Not wanting to be rude he turned to congratulate Bucky on a job well done for his first time. But when he turned to him, all he saw was the raging fury on Barnes’ face and the metal fist that was flying towards him.

 

    Brown eyes widened as Tony gasped, flinching away as his earlier panic returned, images of the Winter Soldier killing his parents and Steve bringing his shield down mixing together into what seemed a new reality of the Winter Soldier punching a hole through his chest and knocking the arc reactor right out of it.

 

    He screwed his eyes shut, the sound of metal crunching metal assaulting his ears. But strangely, he didn’t feel any pain. He opened his eyes just in time to see Barnes toss aside a now crumpled and useless robot that had surely been intent on killing Tony just moments before.

 

    Slowly Tony’s eyes peeled away from the warped metal to see Barnes and the team looking at him with something close to concern mixed with surprise and confusion on their faces.

 

    Logically Tony knew he should be grateful, that he should thank the man who just saved his life. But his panic was taking over, every fiber in his body willing him, _ screaming  _ at him to get to safety. To run from those who had hurt him so deeply in the past. His chest was heaving under his suit, his heavy breathing audible to others now.

 

    “Tony…” Clint was the first to step forward, cautiously as though he feared Tony would spook.

 

    His fear proved true when the movement caused Tony to startle from the frozen position he was in. His eyes darted around nervously for a moment before he slammed down his faceplate and engaged his thrusters, burning through the sky towards the tower as fast as his suit would take him.

 

    A weary sigh filled the elevator as Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d spend the better part of an hour being sick in the bathroom that night, unable to calm his panic for well over two hours. He’d ignored any calls or messages from the other Avenger’s until he finally passed out on the floor.

 

    He’d given the excuse the next morning of dinner not settling well, but he refused to show up at breakfast that morning. The incident had only been a catalyst that caused many other problems that he’d been pushing back to rise to the forefront of his mind.

 

    Everything that had happened between him and the team, the issues he had ignored in favor of pretending everything was okay. He’d done his absolute best to make everyone comfortable, desperate for things to go back to normal, even when he was still terrified and jumpy on the inside.

 

    Still, he joked with Clint, did his best to rile Steve up, though he also helped him to adjust further to the future. He even tried his best to be friendly with Barnes, when he wasn’t avoiding him. He thought he’d been doing so well until one small incident that he should have been able to handle sent him spiraling.

 

    A month. He’d pulled away for a month and now he had to put his smile back on and just pretend that everything was fine once again. He sighed once more, watching the floor numbers climbing higher. At least painting had calmed him down and settled him, for the time being.

 

    A soft ding of the elevator alerted Tony that he had reached the Avenger’s floor. Tony grimaced and steeled his resolve to get things back to normal once again instead of hiding down in his workshop. An easy smile slid onto his face like a mask as the doors smoothly opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case anyone's wondering Tony still has the arc reactor in my fic. Also, I'm not sure what to do about Vision, but I'm keeping JARVIS because. JARVIS. So if anyone has suggestions feel free to throw 'em my way!


	3. Breakfast and Birdbrains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony reunites with the team and the team learns something new about their resident genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So this took longer than it should have. I've been suffering from a persistent cold and haven't had much motivation for writing. But I'm finally getting over it, so things should pick up now. Here is the next chapter, no trigger warnings for this one. :)

    Steve couldn’t help but look up from his paper as the elevator door opened. He expected Tony to strut in with one of his fancy suits on and maybe have a quick cup of coffee with everyone before leaving for a "meeting", one of his most prominent excuses for getting out of things he didn’t want to do.

 

    What Steve was not expecting was for Tony to walk in, dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, an easy grin on his face and a self-confident glint in his eyes. But what made him smile in bemusement was the dark blue smear of paint above his left eyebrow.

 

    “I didn’t know you painted, Stark.” Clint said, speaking up before Steve even had the chance, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

 

    Tony stared at Clint for a moment, looking mildly confused.

 

    The archer pointed to his own forehead to indicate what he was talking about, prompting Tony to look at his reflection in the polished metal of the refrigerator.

 

    He relaxed as he saw the blue smear of paint on his forehead, letting out a chuckle. He moved toward the coffee machine. “Everybody has a hobby, Birdbrain.”

 

    Steve leaned forward with interest, folding his newspaper. “I never would have taken you for an artist, Tony.” Steve himself was an artist, but he mostly stuck to sketching and charcoals. He’d delved into watercolors a little, but he liked the feeling of a pencil in his hand as opposed to a paintbrush.

 

    Tony shrugged, pouring a mug of coffee and adding a shot of Scotch whiskey and vanilla. “It’s something I got interested in after college.” He told them, going to sit at the table with the others, Bucky noticing he took the seat furthest from him.

 

    Bruce piled the bacon on a plate, laying more on the griddle. He still couldn't believe how much Thor could eat. “I didn’t know that. Are you any good?” He asked.

 

    Tony shrugged. “I’m pretty good at it.” He answered simply, making everybody pause to look at Tony, the engineer looking around at them, straightening a little at their stares. “...What?”

 

    Clint raised an eyebrow at Tony, an amused smirk playing on his lips. “Was it just me or did that sound like the Great Tony Stark was being humble instead of the arrogant jerk he normally is?”

 

     Natasha nodded and gave a bare smile, merely an upturn of the corners of her mouth. “Are you finally admitting you might not be that great at something, Antoshka?”

 

    Tony fell into the easy banter, giving them a smirk of his own. “Please, I’m amazing at everything I do.”

 

    Steve shook his head at the typical Stark attitude, but it brought a smile to his lips. If Tony was snarking with Clint and Natasha then he must have felt better.

 

    “Truly you are a man of wonder, friend Stark!” Thor boomed, interrupting the squabble between Tony and Clint. “One who has both the talent for art and the skills of a genius is one to be revered!”

 

    The engineer turn artist smiled at Thor, but at his next words, his grin faltered just a little. “We must see your paintings!”

 

    Tony was silent a split second longer than necessary before he shrugged, that easy smile back in full force. “Sure thing, big guy. I’ve been thinking of hanging one of them up here somewhere.”  

 

    The Asgardian beamed happily, clapping Bucky’s shoulder in good cheer, making the super soldier glare at him.

 

    Bruce interrupted the rest of the conversation, placing the food on the table and sitting down. The rest of the meal passed with Tony and Clint teasing each other back and forth with Tony and Bruce talking science in between.

 

     Finally Tony looked at his watch, swearing softly. “Well, boys, and spider,” He said, grinning at Natasha’s glare, “As usual I’m late for an important meeting, so if you’ll excuse me I’ll be leaving.” He said, downing his second cup of coffee and patting Bruce’s shoulder in thanks for the meal before he was gone.

 

    Bruce smiled as the elevator closed. “He’s doing better.” He stated, getting some similarly relieved smiles from the other Avengers.

 

    “It’s so weird that he paints though.” Clint mumbled to himself, shaking his head and spitting out his coffee as Thor clapped his back, laughing at the paranoid archer.

 

    Nobody noticed that Bucky hadn’t said a single word on the subject.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count- 738. Yup, so that's that, let me know what you think! Next chapter will be featuring Bucky's thoughts on Tony, so stay tuned!


	4. The Unveiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony shares some artwork and the resident spies get a tiny glimpse at Tony behind his masks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it has been way too long, but here's the next chapter! No TWs for this one, just enjoy the read!

    Everyone had gone their separate ways for the day, Bruce going down to his lab, Steve and Bucky going off to see some sights, Steve trying to help Bucky adjust much like Stark had helped him when he first came out of the ice. Natasha and Clint were off to, God knows where. No one was ever really sure what they did with their time off when they weren’t at the tower. Thor was off spending the day with his beloved Jane.

 

    That night was movie night, officially named Team Bonding Night by Steve, but they usually ended up watching movies until three or four in the morning, so movie night fit the bill better.

 

    Steve had brought the subject up when Tony had breakfast with them, surprised when Tony said he’d make it a point to leave work on time.

 

    So they were expecting him to show up, but no one really expected Tony to already be there when they all gathered at seven o’clock.

 

    The group walked in, conveniently at the same time, to find Tony sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand, a veiled painting on the normally empty wall behind them, and a big grin on said genius’ face.

 

    Thor grinned. “Friend Stark! You have brought us one of your paintings?” He asked, Tony nodding as he stood up.

 

    “I give you, the Avengers.” He said with a flourish as he pulled the veil off the painting.

 

    Everyone’s eyes widened, save for Bucky, Steve grinning slowly as he stepped closer. The painting was a portrait of the original six Avengers, from the viewpoint of Loki as they defeated him.

 

    Everything was perfect down to the last detail. Every scratch, tear, and dent in Tony’s armor, the scorch marks on his face, the damage on Steve’s shield, the light flare from behind them with the perfect glint off the tip of Clint’s arrowhead, the muss of Natasha and Thor’s hair.

 

    But more than that was the emotion Tony had somehow managed to capture in the brushstrokes, from the contained anger in Hulk’s face to the cold, emotionless look in Hawkeye’s eyes.

 

    “How… How did you do this?” Steve asked, hand half raising as if to touch it before falling to his side again.

 

    Tony shrugged. “The tower is equipped with loads of cameras. It wasn’t hard to piece together what condition we and our suits were in.”

 

    “This is magnificent!” Thor boomed, grinning as he came over and clapped Tony’s shoulder. “Truly a masterpiece, Tony.”

 

    Even Natasha’s face was lighter somehow, her lips almost twitching into a smile. “It’s beautiful, Tony.”

 

    He smiled, a little shy and more sincere than even his truly amused grins when he was in a good mood. “Thanks.” He turned to Bucky. “Sorry, I don’t have any paintings with you in them yet.” It was technically a lie, but he didn’t have any… happy paintings with him in them, so it was close enough to the truth.

 

    Bucky just nodded. “The painting’s good.” He said, looking up at the portrait once more.

 

    Bruce patted Tony’s shoulder. “It’s great Tony, but are you sure it should be up here?” He asked, worried about it possibly being destroyed in a fight as villains had attacked them on the communion floor before, not to mention sometimes the team broke things when they got rowdy.

 

    Tony grinned brightly. “No worries, Brucie-bear! The glass case is made of a new synthesized glass that is smear-proof, streak-proof, and a newly added feature of Hulk-proof. At least, in theory, haven’t been able to test it yet.” He said with a sidelong glance to Bruce.

 

    He sighed in defeat, knowing that look. “I’ll ask the Hulk about it, but I’m not making any promises, Tony.”

 

    “Perfect!” He said, grinning triumphantly. “Now to the pizza! I ordered all of your favorites.” He said, heading to the kitchen where he’d stacked the boxes, everyone slowly following him.

 

    Natasha paused as she noticed Clint still staring hard at the picture. Concerned that perhaps the scepter she was holding in the picture was causing a flashback, she walked over, about to speak when he beat her to it.

 

    “He looks... traumatized.” He murmured lowly, staring up at Tony in the portrait.

 

    She directed her gaze to the painting and it took a minute, but slowly she could see through the mask that Tony had somehow managed to paint on canvas. He was calm and proud on the outside, but Tony managed to hide emotions behind emotions in his art and even she would have to admit that the empty, haunted look in his eyes sent shivers down her spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count- 779. Thanks to everyone for kudos and comments on my last chapter and for those of you waiting for the next chapter of my Empath Danny Hawaii 5-0 story, it should be up within a week or two!


	5. The Perceptions of a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He turned to Bucky standing there. “Have you been there this whole time?” He asked, getting only a nod in return. “Why didn’t you come in sooner?”
> 
> Bucky’s eyes slid away from his, staring at the elevator. “Didn’t want to interrupt,” He muttered. “You know Stark doesn’t like me.”

    A day or two later Tony was up early, stealing a cup of coffee from the kitchen when Steve walked in, looking surprised. “You’re up a lot earlier than usual.” He said, looking at the clock that read 5:03.

 

    Tony chuckled, nodding as he turned around while he waited for the coffee to perk. “Got an early flight to make this morning.” He told him, yawning as he blinked at him. “Just get back from your run?” He asked, noting the sweats Steve was wearing.

 

    The taller man nodded, grabbing an energy drink from the refrigerator and sitting down at the table. “Yeah, Fury wants a meeting today, so I got up early too. Where are you headed?”

 

    “Business meeting in Tokyo. Supposedly, I’m needed, though I’m sure Pep could handle it herself. But the board members want to talk to me, so I’ll be gone for a few days.” He said, glancing back as the coffee machine beeped.

 

    Steve watched in amusement as Tony downed the first cup in mere seconds before making another one to go. “Sorry to cut this short, Cap, but duty calls.” He grabbed his briefcase and headed to the elevator, turning back around as he stepped inside. “Try not to get yourselves killed while I’m gone, Capsicle!” He called with a grin.

 

    The Captain chuckled, “Sure thing. Try not to get on Pepper’s nerves too much!” Tony laughed and the doors closed.

 

    “What's Fury want?” A gruff voice asked behind Steve, startling the supersoldier.

 

    He turned to Bucky standing there. “Have you been there this whole time?” He asked, getting only a nod in return. “Why didn’t you come in sooner?”

 

    Bucky’s eyes slid away from his, staring at the elevator. “Didn’t want to interrupt,” He muttered. “You know Stark doesn’t like me.”

 

    Steve sighed. “He just needs more time, Buck.” He told him, though he didn’t get a response. He shook his head, answering the question as Bucky took a seat. “He just wants to talk about how things are going with the team.”

 

    Bucky frowned softly. It wasn’t a secret that he didn’t trust Fury. He didn’t trust anyone, really. Not even Steve, not the way he used to.

 

    Steve tilted his head, studying him carefully. “Something else you need, Buck?” He asked softly. It was difficult for him to understand the way Bucky thought and felt now. It used to be so easy, but as much as Steve hated to admit it, the Bucky they recovered wasn’t the same one that he’d known all those years ago.

 

    The quiet man didn’t respond at first, seeming to think over the question seriously. Finally, he shook his head, getting up and leaving without another word, ignoring the heavy sigh he heard behind him.

 

    He knew it was hard for Steve, but sometimes he had to think things through by himself. Especially things concerning people. He didn’t understand them as well as he used to, but he knew that talking to others didn’t always help, because people had their own perceptions and the perceptions of others are not to be trusted.

 

    For perception is based on one’s senses, things they taste, smell, touch, see, or hear; However perception can be tainted by one’s perspective, and perspective is based on one’s, usually predetermined, ideas.

 

    He’d learned that quickly when he asked the others about Stark. While they all said he was a genius, there were other things they said that just didn’t add up. Steve said he was arrogant, Bruce said he was eccentric, irresponsible was what Natasha called him, while Clint said the man was daring and reckless, and lastly, Thor called him brave.

 

    It didn’t make much sense to Bucky as the reports for the others had been so consistent. When he asked about Natasha, the answer was beautiful but deadly. Steve was trustworthy and righteous. Clint was a prankster, but loyal and clever. Bruce was of a quiet and peaceful demeanor, but the Hulk was full of rage. Thor was courageous and though on the naive side when it came to the way humans did things, he was smarter than some think.

 

    So Bucky watched. He listened and observed. He did it with everyone at first, something he’d been taught to do, to gather information on potential threats. But once he started to focus on Tony, he did more. He followed him, looking for patterns and actions and the reasons behind his actions, using the training he’d received as the Winter Soldier to remain unseen.

 

    In the end, Bucky had decided that only Thor was correct. Because where Steve saw arrogance, Bucky saw insecurity. Where Bruce saw eccentricity, Bucky saw paranoia. Where Natasha thought he was irresponsible, Bucky thought he was more than responsible. And where Clint saw the man as daring and reckless, Bucky saw him as selfless.

 

    Yes, Bucky had to figure this one out by himself. There were still mysteries surrounding Stark that Bucky hadn’t found the answers to. But he knew one thing long before the others had.

 

    Tony paints.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count - 843. The plot is thickening! And yes, I have decided that Bucky is going to play a key part in this tale. I've read a lot of stories with him lately and fell in love with him almost as much as Tony. But not quite. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think!


	6. Suspicious Spies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you thinking?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
> 
> Clint gave her an innocent look. “Nothing.”
> 
> She hummed, giving him a look that clearly stated she didn’t believe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a while, but I'm getting back into the swing of things! No TWs for this chapter, so enjoy!

     “Where’s Stark?” Clint asked that same day at breakfast, surprised to find the man wasn’t already hogging the coffee maker.

 

     “He left earlier for a business meeting. In Tokyo.” Steve answered as he scrambled some eggs, helping Bruce prepare breakfast.

 

     “Oh?” Clint responded, a small smirk twisting his lips before he wiped the look off his face when he caught Natasha staring at him.

 

     “What are you thinking?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

 

     Clint gave her an innocent look. “Nothing.”

 

     She hummed, giving him a look that clearly stated she didn’t believe him.

 

** ** ** ** **

 

     Clint was not a nosy person. Not at all. Curious, perhaps. But never nosy. Still, when Clint was curious, little could deter him from pursuing the matter of interest.

 

     Right now, his curiosity was directed to a certain someone. Someone who had recently shown another side of himself that the spy had failed to see…

 

     Tony Stark.

 

     The archer and the engineer had always gotten along well. They were both pranksters, sarcastic, and they shared a love of old movies with horrible green screen effects.

 

     But despite that, they’d never drawn closer as friends. They had a good bond, though. They were willing to risk their lives for each other in battle, but they couldn’t be called close. They didn’t confide in each other like close friends would and maybe that was why Clint found himself so curious.

 

     What other secrets could Tony be hiding from them? Was there more to the billionaire behind his smug attitude and those dark shades he liked to wear?

 

** ** ** ** **

 

     Natasha knew that there was more to Tony Stark than what met the eye. After all, she had been the one assigned to watch him back when he had palladium poisoning. She knew every detail about Afghanistan and read every report on Tony Stark that SHIELD had to offer.

 

     ... So why did it feel like there was so much more to the man than what she knew?

 

     She tried to tell herself that Clint had to be wrong. The emotion Tony painted in his eyes had to have simply been put there for dramatic effect; Natasha had never seen such depth in the eyes of the inventor. Not even when he’d been  dying from palladium poisoning. Surely, she was tricking herself into believing something that didn’t exist.

 

     But she was a spy. She was trained to follow a lead until it couldn’t be followed, to find the facts, even if the reason for finding them was less than credible.

 

     She couldn’t deny that there was another part of her, a cynical and suspicious part of her, bred into her by the Red Room. Part of her that refused to relax until she reevaluated the potential threat that was Iron Man.

 

     Not that Tony was a threat. On a more rational level, she knew that Tony would never hurt her or the team. But still... 

 

     It wouldn’t hurt to do a little digging. Would it?

 

** ** ** ** **

 

     Clint crawled through the vents as he worked his way up to Tony’s penthouse, hoping to find more of Tony’s paintings. He smirked as he reached the opening that dropped down just inside Tony’s apartment. He carefully raised the grate and set it aside.

 

     So caught up in his excitement, Clint forgot to check the area before slipping down.

 

** ** ** ** **

 

     Natasha glanced around as she heard the slight click of the door unlocking, making sure that she was alone. Still keeping an eye on the hallway, she opened the door and slipped inside.

 

     A startled sound that was in no way a shriek left her mouth as a heavy weight fell on top of her.

  
     Archer and assassin alike sat there with a hand on their head, eyes closed as they shook off the surprise and dizziness. Blue and green met as their eyes opened.  _ “What are you doing here?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count - 643. Heh heh, yeah... I'm pretty proud of that ending. Thank you to everyone for your kudos and comments on the last chapter, keep them coming!! <333

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand there you go! Hope I've intrigued you enough to stick around for the next chapter! Comments are always appreciated!


End file.
